Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-01-21
windla<s, jumping an clapping his


looked about for the man whose
business it was to manage the windlass,
but not Il sign of him was there, an in
a minute heard the rattle of the pulley
ag ain and saw the rope was running
through it in the wrong direction.
made grab for it. but twas jerked out
of my hand, an before | could catch it
again the end had slipped through, and
there l was more than Il hundred feet
from the ground, not knowing how in
the world was to get down, and Jerry
dancing an capering below, calling out:
| Come down and thrash me now, Mr..
Fordc, won't you?' Then remember
ed that few days before had found
this boy annoying Katie, an had given
him cut with switch l had in my
hand. He had skunk away without a
ord at the time. but it seems he had
remembered the blow and took this way
of being revenged.
! "Well, at first was scarcely
frightened, expecting somehow that
once the people below knew the fix
was in, they'd find some way or other
of getting me out of it. But when
come to think of it deuce bit of way
could hit on myself, an sure | knew
more about chimneys than any one else
in the place. Twas getting late, too;
there wouldn't be much more than an
other half hour of daylight, an the
wind was riSing-I could hear it
whistling through the trees. BY this
time people knew what had happened
and a crowd was collccting: could see
them coming from all parts, for of
coursesI had a view all about. saw a
boy 90 up to the door of the counting
house, an presently Master Philip came
out running as if for his life. When he
came he took the command like, an
began giving directions; an the people,
who had only stared at first, now ran
here an there as he sent them. First
they brought out u long ladder an
fixed it on the roof below the chimney.
could have told them that twas too
short, knowing as l did the length OF
every ladder in the place: bat. some,
how. | heard their shouts plainly ]
could not make them hear mime: it
seemed as if the voices went up like
smoke. Then there was a g7>'a, delay,
while they Went for a longer ladder
and this, too, didn't reach half way.
A man climbed up, however, and called
out to know if hadn 4 piccc.o string
in my pocket that could let down.
Not a bit could find. ] had Il big
ball only thcd;ly before, but he'd taken
it out of my pocket, an put it on the
shelf at home. took off my braces an
fastened them and my handkerchief to-
gcther, but they didn't Near reach the
top Of the ladder, 50 that the plan had
to be given up.
All this time the wind wae rising an
l was getting nunb with the cold an
stiff al cramped from being 20 long in
the QUE position There was Il big clock
right OYER the gateway Just opposite an
| saw that it was only twenty minutes
to .: it would be nearly dark at s,n'
once the darknesSSet in what little heepe
| had would be gone.
Master Philip seemed to have gone
away by this time, but there was my
father among the crowd: an who should
| sec standing neNt to him and holding
on te his arm but Katie! They had for.
gotten everything but the fright about
me, IN he seemed to be tulkin' to hel
an e,G.mfortin' her After !, bit saw
Mas cs' Philip again: he had a big thing
in his hand looking like pocket hand
kerchiats stretched over a frame, an
SAW <&;lt it was a kite, an that they
meant to send a string up to me in that
way Bat you never in all Your life saw
such an Interchangeable kite First twas
too heavy and then twas too light, and
then tGe time they seemed to lose max
ing & tail to steady It.
| hean'd after that part of that same
tail ~&$ made of bank notes Master
Philip sock out of his pocket when he
could get nothing else quick enough.
He got tihom back later, for not a man,
woman, 'or child in the place would
have touShed one of them when they
saw him lasing them in that way.
| When thc kite did go up At last the
wind Was $50 high that they could not
manage 1t properly. 1t came very
near ME @.noe an l made Il snatch at
the string, NEARLY overreaohlng myself
in doing So; but | missed it, anh just
then there came Il Terrible 1g.1st>of wind,
the string broke, an the Kite was
carried AWAY, an stuck fast lin the
branches Of big tnee 'hehinl the
master h use. l looked over at the
clock to soc how much thine was left
me an l found [ could not see the
hands amy Hanger; the &a1'kne::, mad
come on in the last few minutes. Then
gave up alb hope, for knew l never
could hold On ,lntil morring. / ts;ed
to think of death and to amake myself
ready for it, hts couldn't -not a prayer
nor a good woN' could l ca]a no mind,
|, only going OVER an over again in my
gtaead the way ct would happen-aaow the
yeople would 80 away one, by one,
| how I'd be left ,Ione in the dark an
ta.e bowling wiaae, an how at last II!
'n't be able to hang on any longes:, an
faI and be found in the morning all
cr4shed out of shane. The people be-
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